Premium
Hypothermia protects retinal ganglion cells against hypoxia‐induced cell death in a retina organ culture model
Author(s) -
Klemm Patricia,
Hurst José,
Dias Blak Matthias,
Herrmann Thoralf,
Melchinger Marion,
BartzSchmidt Karl U.,
Zeck Günther,
Schultheiss Maximilian,
Spitzer Martin S.,
Schnichels Sven
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
clinical and experimental ophthalmology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.3
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1442-9071
pISSN - 1442-6404
DOI - 10.1111/ceo.13565
Subject(s) - neuroprotection , retinal , medicine , retina , hypothermia , hypoxia (environmental) , retinal ganglion cell , central retinal artery occlusion , neuroscience , ophthalmology , pharmacology , anesthesia , biology , chemistry , organic chemistry , oxygen
Background Hypoxia contributes to retinal damage in several retinal diseases, including central retinal artery occlusion, with detrimental consequences like painless, monocular loss of vision. Currently, the treatment options are severely limited due to the short therapy window, as the neuronal cells, especially the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), are irreversibly damaged within the first few hours. Hypothermia might be a possible treatment option or at least might increase the therapy window. Methods To investigate the neuroprotective effect of hypothermia after retinal hypoxia, an easy‐to‐use ex vivo retinal hypoxia organ culture model developed in our laboratory was used that reliably induced retinal damage on a structural, molecular and functional level. The neuroprotective effect of hypothermia after retinal hypoxia was analysed using optical coherence tomography scans, histological stainings, quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and microelectrode array recordings. Results Two different hypothermic temperatures (30°C and 20°C) were evaluated, both exhibited strong neuroprotective effects. Most importantly, hypothermia increased RGC survival after retinal hypoxia. Furthermore, hypothermia counteracted the hypoxia‐induced RGC death, reduced macroglia activation, attenuated retinal thinning and protected from loss of spontaneous RGC activity. Conclusions These results indicate that already a mild reduction in temperature protects the RGCs against damage and could function as a promising therapeutic option for hypoxic diseases.